US judge temporarily halts Trump's federal employee buyout plan
What's the story
A United States federal judge has temporarily put a stop to the Trump administration's "Fork in the Road" federal employee buyout offer.
US District Judge George O'Toole Jr has scheduled a hearing for Monday to deliberate further on this buyout proposal.
The White House said more than 40,000 employees have accepted the offer to resign before a Thursday midnight deadline in exchange for pay until September 30.
Buyout details
Elon Musk's role and union opposition to buyout
The buyout initiative is aimed at trimming the federal workforce.
It offered over two million federal employees a choice: resign with eight months' pay or face potential future layoffs.
Till now, over 40,000 employees have taken the offer.
However, four unions representing 800,000 civil servants have challenged its legality, calling it unlawful and arbitrary.
Legal challenge
Unions allege buyout could politicize government operations
The unions argue that the buyout could harm government operations by politicizing empty positions and reducing expertise in important areas.
They also accuse the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) of violating the Administrative Procedure Act by failing to provide a legal basis for this buyout.
Further, they allege promises of payments through September were illegal because the current appropriation for federal agencies expires in March.
DOJ's stance
Department of Justice defends buyout, warns against delay
The Department of Justice (DOJ) has defended the buyout as critical to reforming the federal workforce.
It warned that any further delay could have "remarkably disruptive and inequitable repercussions."
"Extending the deadline..will markedly disrupt the expectations of..federal workforce, inject tremendous uncertainty into a program that scores of federal employees have already availed themselves of, and hinder the Administration's efforts to reform the federal workforce."
It also argued that any injunction should only apply to union-represented employees, not all federal workers.
Agency concerns
Buyout's potential impact on government agencies and data access
The buyout has drawn flak for its possible effect on government agencies such as USAID and the Department of Education.
Reportedly, USAID's global workforce could be cut down from more than 10,000 to less than 300 employees.
According to the Congressional Research Service, USAID has bases in over 60 countries and operates in dozens more. However, the majority of the work on the ground is done by other organizations contracted and funded by USAID.